Kickstarter And Why I Won't Be Using It Again...For Anything

In the past two years I've had five successful Kickstarter campaigns; I did two books (Dog And Cat Scratchin') two sets of posters using images from those books and now this current campaign "Send Me Your Selfies" a small project to do a series of portraits. I've watched the formula shift and change, really drastically over the past year. Once a site for individuals and "mom and pop" grass-root-type business to create buzz and raise funds for sweet, even unusual projects, now it's been co-opted by large businesses who've realized that they can get free publicity and raise funds and sell their product before it even hits the brick and mortar. And even Rock Stars and Hollywood folks who've jumped in with their pet projects churn the dollars even more. Little projects like mine get lost in the corner, while big names (who I'm sure could find alternative, or conventional funding) stir the pot and make their millions. Along with all of that, the amount of "marketing" and "crowdfunding" organizations who fill my email with their offers to help me raise the maximum amount, if only I'd pay them a small fee, increase daily.  It all makes me sad. It was a nice way to fund my book projects, and I was feeling pretty hopeful about the Chicken Scratchin' book.  Between the changes at Kickstarter, and the radical changes at Facebook, (what the hell is up with that? I hardly ever see any of my friends posts because of the ads and bullshit that they put up which blocks everything else out) it was hard to connect with folks who might want to back the project. So, it ended, underfunded and unsuccessful. I put it aside thinking that I'd re-launch at a later date. Now I understand that unless I get a "Star" to back it, or pay to have a company promote it for me, chances are it would fail again. So, this little project of mine will end in thirteen days, I'll draw however many portraits (not many right now) and then go back to the drawing board and make a different plan for my life as a professional artist. Meanwhile, I'm always looking for commissions and trying to make a living, like everyone else.  There are a couple of spots on this page to check out the Selfie project, if you want a portrait, the price is much less than I usually charge...last chance, going soon.